Is there a brewing war between the two or is the common public making too much sense of the Jai Ho star’s jovial comment? Read on to find out…

AR Rahman has been flooded with work from all film industries, be it south, Bollywood or Hollywood. Amidst all these work pressures he found out time to come up with an album Raunaq, which had songs penned by Kapil Sibal. The music launch was a grand affair with Salman Khan gracing the event with his presence and launching the album. But the event suddenly got mired in controversy because of Salman Khan‘s comments about the music maestro. If we recall Salman had jokingly said that AR Rahman’s music compositions were average, but there was a huge ruckus regarding the same in the common public. Finally, AR Rahman has put everyone to silence by divulging his side of the story.

Talking to a leading daily AR Rahman says, “I think it was a joke, and people took it very seriously. He (Salman) called up the next day and even clarified it. He was very kind. He even asked me to score for a couple of his movies. I am just thinking about it.” Phew! So all’s good under the hood and there is no rivalry between the to. On the contrary we can see a brewing friendship between them. The Mozart of Madras has never scored for a Salman Khan film before, while he has given music for numerous of Shahrukh Khan’s and Aamir Khan’s films. So it will be great to see if AR Rahman takes the offer at hand from Salman and the two come together for a movie. Don’t you think so too BollywoodLifers?

The first song Aa bhi jaa from Rahman’s new album Raunaq is out and the Mozart of Madras has done a fine job with the music as always

Finally Aa bhi jaa song from AR Rahman and Kapil Sibal’s collaborative album Raunaq has been released and it’s video which is a visual delight is in 4K ultra high definition format. This is the first time in India that a video has been launched in this version. Sung by Jonita Gandhi, Aa bhi jaa is slow romantic number which is about longing, separation and loss. This beautiful rendition features Yami Gautam and Muzammil Ibrahim. And we must admit the Vicky Donor actor looks breathtaking. Though it’s a slow number, Rahman’s music is so enigmatic that it will keep you hooked from the word go. However, wethinks Aa bhi jaa has been stretched a bit too much. Coming to the video, this five minute track has been shot beautifully and the 4K ultra high definition makes it worth watching even more. At the same time, the whole set up of the video did remind me of HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones. Well, if are aware of this American fantasy television drama then you’ll know what I am trying to say.

Overall, Aa bhi jaa is a good hear though personally I prefer fast paced numbers. But Bollywoodlifers you hear song, watch the video and tell us what you think.

Singer-turned-politician, who will contest for the Asansol Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal on a BJP ticket, ridiculed Congress vice president yesterday

Babul Supriyo feels Rahul Gandhi is not fit for politics. The voice behind a number of hit Bollywood songs, Supriyo urged voters to bring a single party to power, claiming alliance politics has destroyed the country, ”Alliance politics has destroyed the country. My first appeal to voters is to bring one party in power.

“Dynasty politics exists in India, but I don’t think Rahul Gandhi is fit for the job. Whatever he says becomes a joke. I have always been against pushing someone who is not fit for the role,” Supriyo told media persons here.

“We have seen how Congress denied Pranab Mukherjee the prime minister’s chair. The party would have some credibility if senior leaders like Kapil Sibal or P Chidambaram were pushed for the job,” he said.

The singer also batted for Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. ”The country needs a CEO (chief executive officer) like Modi who can efficiently run it. He has created wonders in Gujarat and I believe the Gujarat model of development should be followed in the rest of the country,” said the man, who has delivered memorable hits like Dil ne dil ko pukara, Pari pari hai ek pari and Chanda chamke.

Meanwhile, three Trinamool Congress leaders from the Darjeeling hills, including district general secretary Manoj Dewan, joined the BJP.

At a recent event, Sallu miyaan shocked everyone by calling Rahman an ‘average’ music composer. Though the Dabangg Khan later clarified on Twitter that he was just joking, we know the superstar doesn’t get cheeky without any reason

Looks like Shahrukh Khan is no longer Salman Khan’sjaani dushman. We don’t mean it literally but for now someone else seems to be the Jai Ho actor’s arch rival. We all know about Salman’s not-so-flattering comment about musical genius AR Rahman. At the launch of Rahman and Kapil Sibal’s music album Raunaq, the Kick star called the Mozart of Madras ‘average’. While many were puzzled with his out of the blue remark, not many are aware of the fact that SK shares not-so-great rapport with the Highway music director. And that’s the reason why he took a jibe at Rahman. We hear Sallu had approached the talented music composer for his film Ek Tha Tiger and later even accepted the offer. However, AR Rahman backed off the project at the last minute leaving director Kabir Khan in a fix. That’s not all! Apparently, Kabir repeatedly requested Rahman to complete the songs but his efforts failed. On the flip side, the music maestro asked the makers of Salman starrer to shoot the songs on a demo and told them we would finish the music later. When SK learnt about the same, he thought Oscar winner composer was being unprofessional. Since then, the two have been sharing not-so-friendly vibes.

Also, not so long ago, Rahman’s legal team had sent a notice to Salman and his brother Sohail Khan for using the title Jai Ho which has been trademarked by the former. Now doesn’t that explain why the Bhai was being catty? It sure does…

Well, SK and AR Rahman may not be best of friends but commenting on latter’s work was totally uncalled for. After all, Rahman is nothing less than national treasure, right? While Khan clarified about his remark on Twitter, we wonder if this cold war has ended or just begun. Coz Salman can forget but does not forgive.

At a recent event Sallu miyaan had something unfaltering to say about the Mozart of Madras. Read on to know what Dabangg Khan said…

Salman Khan recently launched the Oscar winning music composer AR Rahman’s new music album titled Raunaq. Union Home Minster of Law and Justice Kapil Sibal who wrote all the songs for Rahman’s album was also present at the event.

And while SK was all praises for Mr Sibal, the Kick actor made a not-so-great comment about the Slumdog Millionaire music composer. At the launch, Sallu said, “It is a great pleasure to be here for this launch. The songs are nice. I think Kapil sir is amazing and Rahman is average.” Yes, you heard that right! If the bhai of Bollywood really meant what he said then either Khan needs to improve his taste in music or make himself aware of Rahman’s accomplishments, hai na?

Maybe the actor was taking a dig at the musical genius. Remember Rahman’s legal team had sent a notice to SK and his brother Sohail Khan for using the title Jai Ho which has been trademarked by the former. Well, Salman is known to get cheeky sometimes but this was totally uncalled for, don’t you think Bollywoodlifers?

The two have collaborated for an album called Raunaq which would speak about the current political scenarios of the country

Kapil Sibal has been in politics for the better part of his life, but it seems there is a poet hidden underneath that steely exterior. The Union minister for Communications and Information Technology has collaborated with music maestro AR Rahman for an album called Raunaq. The album would have seven tracks penned by Sibal. Even in the past Kapil has penned lyrics for a movie called Bandook.

A little birdie informs us that the songs would be a reflection of the current social scenario in our country along with some added touches of Sibal’s personal experiences. Every track has a unique theme. The songs range from being an individual’s journey through life to the story of a woman who struggles to eventually become successful. The album promises to chart several moods and lay special emphasis towards love and romance. Talking to a leading daily he informed, “When one writes, his surroundings often end up becoming important participants in the activity. I’ve found that expression through my poetry and the result is beautiful.”

On being asked as to why he ended up collaborating with the Mozart of Madras he told the daily, “Rahman is a genius. I felt my words had found their soul in his tunes. His tone and texture is free of any extravaganza. He creates music, not items. When I wrote these songs, I wanted them in the hands of someone who had consistency of thought and I think Rahman’s music has that.” He also added that Rahman’s music has a refreshing, non-Bollywood feel to it. But how does he find time to write songs amidst his responsibilities as a minister? We wonder…He retorts by saying, “If you really like something, you’ll always find the time to pursue it. I’m a romantic at heart. To explore that side, I’ve been writing these songs for the past year-and-a-half.”

Now that is what we call walking that extra mile to fulfill your passion. Kudos Kapil Sibal! We hope to lay an ear to the songs as soon as they get released.

Alia, Randeep, Imtiaz and Rahman get the masses talking with their fab avatar at the premiere of Highway in Berlin

It was freezing cold at the Berlin Film Festival on Thursday night, but Alia Bhatt, Randeep Hooda, A R Rahman and Imtiaz Ali sent temperatures soaring as they walked the red carpet at the famous Zoo Palast theatre for the world premiere of their much anticipated road movie Highway.

“This is the first time a film of mine is at a Film Festival. I couldn’t have asked for a better one. It was overwhelming to stand on stage at the Zoo Palast and announce the first show of Highway,” said Imtiaz. “Highway to the ‘Next’ it is. All in the eye of the beholder. Loved being with the creative team for the Premiere!” added Rahman, whose next album Raunaq with lyrics by politician Kapil Sibal is due shortly.

The Prime Minister released a stamp in the memory of the legendary ghazal singer

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has a special place in his heart for the legendary ghazal singer Jagjit Singh. On the occasion of his 73rd birth anniversary, the PM released a commemorative stamp in honour.

In his speech the PM said, “Jagjit Singh was a unique artist and excelled in all genres of music, but he will be remembered the most for his ghazals. He dedicated his whole life to music. He faced a lot of struggle in his personal life and still he continued his work. Artists like him are born once in a hundred years and I would like to pay a tribute to this legendary singer.”

Kapil Sibal-minister of communication and information technology said, “Jagjit Singh’s songs has been able to move generations and will continue to do so. Jagjit Singh composed songs for several films, and generations still get swayed and mesmerized by those timeless songs. He has immortalized the poetry of the great Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib by singing it as his melodious ghazals and his soulful voice has transcended borders.”

The Union Minister has written the songs for an upcoming film based on the gun-culture

He’s written two books and he loves to key in a poem or two on his i-Pad, and now Union Minister Kapil Sibal is all set to make his Bollywood debut as a lyricist for a movie called Bandook. The film is the directorial debut of Telugu actor Aditya Om who met Sibal at an event and requested the Minister if he could pen a song or two for his forthcoming movie based on the gun culture. “We were both attending a musical programme in Mumbai when someone introduced me to Sibalji. I got to know he was a poet and asked if he could pen a few songs for us. He wanted to know something about the film and we sent him links of the publicity material, including the last-recorded song by Jagjit Singh and another song by Rekha Bhardwaj,” said Om in a recent interview.

Interestingly, Sibal has also written a song on two young lovers being separated forever without ever having expressed their love to each other. While he was penning the lyrics of this beautiful number, Sibal was also juggling the telecom and HRD ministry. Now that’s what we call multi-tasking and Sibal it seems is pro at it!

Veteran poet, lyricist and filmmaker Gulzar was awarded with an Honorary Doctorate in Urdu Literature by the Maulana Azaad National Urdu University (MANUU) on Saturday, March 3 in Hyderabad. Kapil Sibal, Minister of Human Resource Development presented the citation to Gulzar at the fourth convocation of the university. The university also conferred honorary doctorates Justice AH Ahmadi, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of India; Sukhdev Thorat, Chairman, Indian Council for Social Science and Research, and Mohammad Shamim Jairajpuri – former Vice-Chancellor of the university.